Source: Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development; The Warren Group

Chris Chasse and her mother, Linda Larcen, were seeking something unique when they began house hunting. The two, along with Chris's husband, Christopher, and their two daughters, lived side by side for nearly 10 years in a Manchester duplex. However, they reached a point at which both needed a change.

``We had two bedrooms and one bath each, with a nice yard,'' said the 34-year-old Chasse, who works for the school bus company in town. ``We have two girls, and the two bedrooms were working for a while, but with the four-year age difference -- they're now 10 and 6 -- they were starting to get on each other's nerves. My mother was having trouble with her arthritis, and the bathroom was upstairs, so she wanted something with one-floor living.

``But we knew we wanted to stay together.''

Their choices were limited to multifamily units in Manchester because the Chasses wanted their girls to stay in the same school district. But that type of property rarely came onto the market.

When they saw a newspaper ad for the Overland Street home, it had all the right features. The three-unit home is on a quiet street in a desirable neighborhood, and had more room than their current place. But best of all, the third unit was a ranch-style, in-law home attached to the duplex. It was an uncommon layout that could provide single-story living for Linda, as well as rental income to help pay the mortgage.

``It was definitely a rare find,'' said their agent, Shelby Strano Muraski, broker manager of Century 21 Classic Homes in East Hartford. ``The problem now is many of the in-law places are in the basement or over a garage. It's very difficult to find a place on one floor that has windows.''

It was the only home the family needed to visit. They made an offer, although Chasse admitted that the price caused concern.

``We had a moment where we thought, `We can't afford this mortgage if we don't have a renter,''' Chasse said. ``Then I looked at the middle unit, and having been a renter for so many years ourselves, I thought, `I'd rent this in a heartbeat. It's worth every penny.'''